The Cornflower Witch Chapter 176

“Should a genius be with other geniuses to promote mutual growth, or should a genius lead a group of ordinary people to play a greater role as a core?”

Inside the towering castle, several people sat around a spacious long table, discussing a recent notice from the association. A wizard in a bright yellow robe stood by the window, questioning those behind him.

“This question, if it were within our Knight Order, would have been definitively answered long ago: let such a genius lead a group of people to better exert their abilities,” the knight at the head of the table replied.

“However, in my opinion, multiple geniuses gathering together can pool their wisdom and create the most outstanding and top-tier works,” a burly man had a different idea.

Soon, the knight tapped the table lightly.

“The response from the association headquarters has arrived. They approved our application, stating they will reduce the material supply deduction for the next three years and allocate some resources to us to help local students grow.”

“However, they also have a request: they want to transfer Hylial.”

“Why?”

“It’s simple. Those big figures believe that our land is too comfortable and not suitable for personal growth, saying that over time, it will lead to deterioration.”

“The conflict thirty years ago caused many mid-level Third- and Fourth-Order members of the association to suffer casualties. Now, the association urgently needs to replenish its fighting strength and doesn’t have much patience.”

“According to reports from our intelligence line in the central continent, the Mage Alliance has undergone a large-scale reform in the past decade. They have started opening schools in every city and providing interest-free loans to some impoverished students, provided they pledge allegiance to the Mage Alliance after completing their studies.”

“Through these means, they have replenished a large amount of fresh blood and are still tirelessly researching their steam machinery. It is said that several mines in the Candelabra Mountains have been emptied.”

“The ‘Harp Flower Union’ in the east has already begun to bring together our Woodland Association and the Sea Cliff Bloodkind in the north, preparing to jointly balance and resist the Mage Alliance.”

“The famous ‘Silverbird Tower’ organization within the ‘Mage Alliance’ developed a new core spell, the ‘Mystery Astronomical Clock,’ three years ago. Entering the Third Order with this spell allows one to cast three spells without weakening. If advanced to the Sixth Order, one can completely cast twelve spells associated with the ‘Mystery Astronomical Clock’.”

“They have already started selecting geniuses from various regions to teach this new advanced arcane art.”

“In contrast, our Woodland Association’s most famous advanced arcane art was once the ‘Star Prayer Ritual’ developed by the Meteor Witch. Upon entering the Third Order, one could choose a spell ability and gain a 3x power boost; at the Sixth Order, this was expanded to a 27x power boost. If it reached the Seventh Order, it could push a spell’s power to an astonishing degree, directly piercing through the Floating Cloud Continent.”

“It was with this very arcane art that the Meteor Witch directly destroyed the Lizardman Kingdom on the southern edge of the continent, leaving behind a fearsome reputation.”

“However, the learning of this arcane art relies heavily on talent, to the extent that since that great witch, only two witches have mastered it, and they ultimately did not reach the level of the Meteor Witch.”

“Now, our association has significantly relaxed restrictions on cross-organizational learning of arcane arts, but the exchange of academic experience is far less frequent and smooth than that of the Mage Alliance.”

“This has caused us to slowly fall behind in many aspects.”

“That’s not entirely accurate, and the situation is completely different,” the scholar, who had been silent in a corner of the hall, spoke up. He adjusted his glasses and then explained.

“Mages communicate by discussing specific runic formulas, core structures, and spell incantations, which are like meticulously crafted, precise instruments. If one link is missed, others cannot replicate it.”

“Furthermore, if someone can truly replicate it perfectly, that person would certainly have followed the path of a mage and become one of them.” “The various organizations within our Woodland Association are more complex; many originated from industry guilds.”

“Just as ‘Forged Gold Blacksmith’ was originally the blacksmiths’ guild of the Stone Cave City, ‘Order of the Holy Knights’ was originally the Royal Knight Order of the Blazing Sun Empire, though the Blazing Sun Empire no longer exists.”

“The witches and some spirits were originally members of the ‘Moon Council,’ the losers who competed for the Star-Lord position of ‘Glorious Moon’ back then.”

“The components of the Woodland Association’s various organizations differ greatly, spanning a wide range. Even if you want to communicate, many things are not universally applicable.”

“In its early days, due to its philosophy, the Mage Alliance created extremely unified standards: runic formats, arcane art grades, school organizational divisions, and so on. Their focus on the three aspects of ‘Castle,’ ‘Mystic Words,’ and ‘Gold Steam’ is unimaginable to others.”

“Not only our Woodland Association, but since the rise of the Mage Alliance, it has continuously expanded, squeezing the activity space of many traditional forces.”

“Furthermore, it’s worth noting that due to the conflict for the Glorious Moon Star-Lord position during the Eighth Epoch, after the great war, many inheritances on the Fourth Continent were lost. We no longer lead in resources, knowledge, and arcane art accumulation, which is why we are relatively powerless against the Mage Alliance.”

“The Mage Alliance has actually tried to develop and expand its influence on other continents, but with limited success, especially in the First Continent’s Sun Dynasty. That is a prosperous empire authorized by the Corona Dragon, which has unified the entire continent, leaving no room for any other organization or faction to expand.”

“Arcane arts, resources, and talents are now being fiercely contested by all parties on the Fourth Continent. To stimulate vitality in the southern regions, the association has now relaxed its control over the various countries in the south.”

“Does that mean the southern region will soon face civil war in the next few years?” the wizard asked, turning around.

“Yes, according to the higher-ups, the numerous small countries need to be merged to form a unified large nation to better allocate resources.”

“Many royal families of the states currently on the surface have already caught wind of this and are actively preparing for war. Even if they are not preparing for war, they are considering intermarriage and alliances to cope with the impending turmoil.”

“War will bring some losses, but war will also create many opportunities, allowing those aristocrats who merely occupy positions without doing anything to step down and make way for capable people to assume high positions.”

After listening, the leading knight shook his head.

“It’s surprising that the situation, which has been unwilling to change for so many years, is now taking action. It seems the pressure from the Mage Alliance has threatened the very foundation of the Woodland Association.”

“We must also make preparations early.”

“Regarding Hylial, I plan to appeal to the association headquarters for another six months. If you wish to win her over or show goodwill, please do so within these six months. After that, we will have no choice but to let her go.” The Knight Commander made his final decision, and the others in the hall nodded in agreement.

“Six months… I never thought we’d be in such a hurry.”

Many students spend their first year in the forest adapting to the environment, catching up on previously missed secret history lessons, and becoming familiar with the rules of forest life.

Only in their second year do they truly plan their advanced learning path, select the courses they want to take, and identify the abilities and skills they need to develop.

However, under the tide of the times, individual choices are like grains of sand, difficult to control, and can only rise and fall with the tide, keeping up or falling behind.